Find your medicine

I spoke with a friend the other day about trends we’re seeing in the emotional/spiritual healing space.

We both agree that at this point, doing some type of self care is necessary for mere survival on the planet. We’re living through unprecedented times, and cant be sure what the future will require of us.

If I learned anything from all those Army Power Point presentations, it’s the importance of “fostering resiliency,” and developing “intestinal fortitude.”

How do we do this?

Now more than ever before, I’m convinced the answer is different for everyone. There are as many different ways to heal and stay well as there are humans on the planet.

Over the summer a friend shared his story of a 5-MeO-DMT ceremony he participated in a year ago that resulted in him quitting alcohol cold turkey, starting a daily meditation practice, changing his diet, and returning to the gym. ..the ceremony was on a Saturday, and he was back to work on Monday 😳😂

What I love about that story is that his “Awakening” met him where he was. As a single father of 2 teenagers and working an 8-5 job, taking several days to attend a retreat or travel out of the country to work with a Shaman simply wasn’t an option for him at that time- so he found something that was.

Another one of my favorites is my Myofascial Release practitioner in Asheville sharing how she dealt with stress as a child. ..I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she just went fishing!

So often it’s the simple things that make all the difference.

There are many ways to maintain or increase well-being. See below for some ideas- most of which I’ve tried myself at some point!

What we did:

Dietary changes, reset circadian rhythm, improved gut health, released energetic blockages, addressed unhealthy relationships, resolved trauma, corrected structural issues (spinal misalignment/airway dysfunction,etc) treated Lyme/mold, mitigated EMF, and/or switched jobs.

How we did it:

Somatic work, plant medicines, Holotropic breathwork, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Cranial Sacral, Myofascial Release, Bach Flower Essences, Specialized Kinesiology, Kambo, Shamanic Soul Retrieval, Hypnotherapy, PEMF/frequency devices, meditation, yoga, TRE, Brainspotting, parasite cleansing, heavy metal detox, Neurofeedback, Equine Therapy, and many more.

The above lists are inconclusive and in no certain order. There’s also a lot of overlap.

The point is there’s no “right” way to heal. Everyone is so unique, and what works for one person may be ineffective or even cause harm to another.

Healing does not have to be retraumatizing. The days of beating ourselves into wholeness are behind us. Repeated participation in aggressive healing practices that leave you destabilized and ungrounded can be yet another manifestation of trauma. Thank goodness there are plenty of moderately paced and self-compassionate routes to take.

Practitioners are becoming more skilled and trauma informed every day, and we are finally including the BODY in healing the things that it also experienced (not just our 🧠).

The future looks bright. There’s never been a better time to find your medicine- then (if you feel up to it) help others do the same 🙏

Photo: Grayton Beach State Park September 2022